Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Raw Food: The Good and the Bleh

It's raw food day again! This time, my uncooked meals ranged from "so-so" to "over-the-top amazing." I'll start with the "so-so." I began today's monthly one-day raw food cleanse with this Galactic Green Smoothie from 30 Minute Vegan:

Dates, fresh apple juice, banana, papaya, and kale — sounds like a great combo, huh? Well, only if you like papaya, which I apparently do not. When I cut into the papaya last night, it smelled like butt and it tasted icky. I vaguely remember trying papaya before and not liking it. But at the time, I assumed I'd gotten a bad one. Guess I just don't like it. But I drank this smoothie down anyway ... can't let those greens go to waste.

Around 11 a.m., I snacked on some carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, and cauliflower at my desk. And then at noon, I gorged on this Giant Garden Salad with Brazil Nut Cheese:

The salad — romaine, radishes, fresh corn, tomato, cucumber, and cauliflower — was just a salad. But this nut cheese was really something special. It's made by Journey to Bliss, a local raw food company in Smryna, Tennessee. They sell their products — delicious nut cheeses and raw desserts — at Whole Foods stores in Memphis, Nashville, and a few other regional locales.

Ya'll, this is definitely THE best raw cheese I've ever had. It's flecked with onion and garlic, and the taste reminds me of that French onion dip in the plastic tub that I loved as a kid. It wasn't cheap at $12.99 a package, and I was hesitant to shell out the big bucks for it. But it is soooo worth it. I'll be buying this again.

Dinner was equally amazing! I made this Live Un-Stirfry with Cauliflower Rice and Spicy Cashews from 30 Minute Vegan:

The authors of 30 Minute Vegan — Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray — sponsored a recipe contest last year, and this un-stirfry was the winner. Its creator, Felix Schoener of Germany, won a trip to Kaua'i, Hawaii for his winning contribution.

Spicy sesame-flavored naba cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and shitake mushrooms rest atop a fluffy bed of garlicky cauliflower "rice." The dish is sprinkled with a few raw sesame-chili cashews. Wow! I know I always say "this was the best dish ever!" But um, this may have been the best dish ever. This recipe prep took me far longer than the 30 minutes advertised in the book's title, but it was worth every minute.

What cookbooks do you suggest for helping with the going raw thing? I don't intend to go fully raw, but I would like to have a few all-raw days a month, or eat as much raw as possible. And, in 30 Minute Vegan are there a lot of recipes that don't require odd and hard to find ingredients? Where I live we just have your typical grocery stores.

Mmm, that stir fry and rice dish looks amazing, it's making me wish I had cauliflower to try making 'rice' out of! I'm right there with you on the nastiness of papaya, and I always feel so ripped off - surely with a name like papaya it should taste good, no? :) -Eve

i am going to have to make that live unstir fry it looks so good! i made the baked tempura last night with the mustard dipping sauce and i made the eggless egg salad for lunch today from the 30 minute vegan both soooo good!

wow that does indeed LOOK like the best dish ever..i'm sure it tasted like it too.. i haven't seen that cookbook in my bookstore, i'll have to look for it more closely though because that sounds awesommme!

Ooooh it all looks yum to me. I think papaya is one of those things you either love or hate. Funny that it smells like booty to you cuz it's actually really good for your booty (digestion). Thanks for mentioning that book. I would never think to find raw recipes in a vegan cookbook, but I think that dish alone won me over enough to get the book.

I only like some papaya--if it's yellow inside, I think it smells like puke and it makes me want to do the same. But if they are the red variety, and they are picked green and I eat them just before overripe, then I really, really like them. I usually just avoid them because I'm so picky!

Yeesh, imagine winning a hawaiian vacation for a raw un-stirfry recipe. It must be good!

Wow, that brazil nut cheese looks wonderful! And who would have thought of a raw stir-fry?!

As for the Food for Life tortillas, are you talking about the gluten-free ones? b/c I've had the Ezekiel ones too, and while those are a bit hard, they're nowhere near as plasticy as the GF ones, which are the ones I don't know if I'd buy again. I love the Ezekiel ones though. I think soft, floury tortillas are essential for soft tacos and the like however, so I guess there's a time n place for everything!

you skull glass rocks some serious socks, Bianca - i'm sorry the green monster was a bit disappointing - i'm glad the awesome brazil nut cheese (zomg!) made up for the "meh" morning drink. next time i'm at my local whole foods i'll have to see if they offer any yummies similar to that raw cheeze - i love the dr. cow cheeses, but i have to buy them online & the shipping packaging makes me sadfaced. i will be buying the 30 minute vegan for the un-stirfry alone. it sounds pretty damn awesome & looks magnificent, indeed!

Your dinner looks SO GOOD!!! That cauliflower rice looks so perfect. I have yet to try that with cauli, but your pic makes me want to. Actually, I want that whole dish in my mouth right now.

I HATE papaya! I confused it for mango for the longest time & always said I hated mangoes... Then I tried a mango & liked it, and was very confused. Then I had papaya again & had a horrible, torturous reminder that it's PAPAYA I hate. Ewwwww. (I love literally ALL other fruits & veggies, so I don't know what it is about papaya, but it sucks & can go away.)

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.